cubfan33
08-29-2002, 12:50 AM
There is simply no excuse not to have the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia on your computer. None. Searchable, sortable, stupendous. I know you often see me tout the SBE here and many of you came to UTK through Lee's touts of UTK, but that has nothing to do with why I endorse the SBE like Fred McGriff endoreses the Tom Emanski videos. The fact is, the SBE is simply the best tool of its kind available anywhere, at any price. I use it. Rob Neyer uses it. Bill James uses it. You should too. Sure, it doesn't have Lee's patented sarcasm and bitterness in it like his ATM reports, but it's still pretty amazing. How did my Diamond Mind team beat the Shebazzle this year? Because of the SBE.
Current prediction: Will we have a strike? Yes. How sure? 99%. How long will it be? Six days. Play will resume next Friday with no loss of games. Who will be most instrumental in making a final deal? Fox's Ed Goren.
Paul LoDuca took some heat in today's conference call, but he was only a day early. There is now a deal in place for drug testing and players won. The threshhold to do more than "survey" testing is below where the union felt current usage might be (5%) and there is no random testing for drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. Even more important, there's no testing for hGH, rEPO, testosterone, or anything resembling a drug that a professional athlete might use.Anyone notice Bob DuPuy's Q&A over on MLBPravda.com? Interesting that twice, he says no team will falter due to a strike, even an extended strike. I wonder what Bud might say to that.
I've decided to add a new term to the UTK lexicon. Several suggested "hijinx" instead of "shenanigans" but both are tough to type, so I'll add in "TRS" for "typical roster shenanigans." I do want to clarify that I don't necessarily think TRS is wrong or unethical. There are rules and giving yourself an advantage by finding loopholes or using the rules to your teams advantage is only one thing - smart.
Gary Sheffield is having trouble with the same thumb he had surgery on in 1995. Injured during a batting drill, Sheffield is currently unable to swing a bat without significant pain and was scheduled to see team ortho Joe Chandler today after an MRI. Reports from inside the Braves clubhouse are that the thumb is visibly swollen and that if we make it past DDD, Sheffield will likely face some DL time. At best, he'll miss a week.
Greg Maddux gets Henry Blanco back and throws a complete game on 100 pitches and with only one strikeout. I still take him over Roger Clemens, but to be able to dominate without "dominating" hitters with massive K numbers may be something we look back on with amazement in twenty years.
There's some good news on Austin Kearns, who after seeing him pull up last night, I was convinced was done. An MRI done today showed that the injury was not as bad as it looked and the swelling was down significantly. Tip to the Reds - hire a stretching consultant and get the players to buy in. The Reds also lost Scuffy Moehler today as his surgically repaired arm is fatigued to a point that he's even less effective than he normally is. He's likely done for the year, but given the right type of contract, he's the type of guy the Reds could use next year.
Everyone, listen closely. Don't worry about A.J. Burnett. The injury he suffered is not debilitating, does not signal the end of his career, and in the grand scheme of things, is relatively insignificant. What caused his injury is a bit freakish - two bones striking each other just enough to cause a small bruise - but freak injuries that are minor, that have no structural problems, are just that - minor. If you worry about his pitch counts, this gives him a nice rest at the time in the season when he is likely to be most fatigued. (Well, that statement isn't exactly true, but I'll talk more about that in my next article on why pitch counts aren't enough.) Want a hot tip for next year? If Burnett is in your draft and you have a league full of non-UTKers, talk about pitch counts, freak injuries, then watch Burnett slide and grab him. People will stare at you and you'll have one of the best starters in all of baseball on your team.
The Fish also may get Josh Beckett back earlier than expected. The blister that put him on the DL healed nicely and he could be ready to pitch again when he's eligible to come off the list, but really, what's the point? Beckett and his employers are going to need to figure out either what's causing this problem or how to figure out how to heal it more quickly.
We should know tomorrow if Paul Konerko has a stress fracture, but team trainer Herm Schneider says it is. The other possibility is tendonitis, but while Herm may not be certified, he usually knows what he's doing. An MRI, done today, will be the final word. If there's no fracture, Konerko will be brought back slowly with more time at DH. It's always fun to see Frank Thomas and his diminished skills playing first base. While I'm speaking of the ChiSox, wouldn't it have been priceless to have heard Jerry Reinsdorf taking the team to task? I've almost forgotten how to make a Reinsdorf joke without involving Fat Jerry Krause in it.
Barry Bonds hitting fifth is a bit unusual. Him hitting home runs in Colorado is not. Jeez, imagine him playing full time on Planet Coors.
Nick Johnson had a setback in his recovery from his wrist injury, reporting unexpected soreness after hitting from a tee. He'll be pushed back about a week, putting him on track for mid-September. Plenty of time to tune it up for the playoffs. On the other hand, I spoke with an "anonymous high-level Yankee source" today and he spoke about Mariano Rivera like he was done for the year.
According to the always excellent and well-written Newberg Report, "Juan Gonzalez had a splint removed from his right thumb and was given a cortisone shot to reduce swelling in a tendon, according to the local papers, and he could resume baseball activities (including swinging a bat) by the end of this week." Somewhat surprising, but not unexpected. Gonzalez is probably my leading contender for 2003 Comeback Player of the Year.
Tim Salmon is making progress from his damaged hand and may find himself in Cucamonga for rehab. I just like saying Cucamonga, but really, the Angels do plan on sending him to A ball to get some rehab if possible. This MAY be a bit of TRS, but I'm not sure if rehab assignments would be affected by a strike.
Jack Wilson is an itty-bitty guy. Well, itty-bitty for a baseball player. Craig Wilson, on the other hand, is pretty big. Not NFL lineman big, but big. Craig fell on top of Jack during stretching - I have no idea how - and Jack hurt his neck. Big guy falls on little guy, yep, that's gonna be an injury almost every time. Wilson can't hit even when healthy, but he is a great defensive shortstop, so I guess the Pirates will miss him some.
Ricky Gutierrez is likely facing surgery to remove not only a disc protruding into his spinal cord, but some sources are indicating that he has a bone spur jutting into his spinal cord. Yes, it's every bit as serious as it sounds, but not as grave. I'll have to venture way outside of baseball for a comparable injury to Stone Cold Steve Austin. Whether you consider pro wrestlers to be athletes or not, getting bounced off your head by big sweaty guys does some damage and Austin had a very similar problem to Gutierrez's. While Gutierrez just wants to get back to baseball and shouldn't have to worry about piledrivers, a similar six to eight month recovery period might not be out of the question. This surgery and condition are very different that the fusion that Rusty Greer has undergone, but the timetables are similar.
Want a dark horse candidate for the next Cubs manager? Current hitting coach Jeff Pentland. He's long been a favorite of Sammy Sosa and in recent interviews, he's been saying all the right things. While I'm still hoping Jim Hendry will bring in Buck Showalter, I wouldn't mind seeing Pentland get a shot. What jobs will be open next year? The Cubs, the Brewers, the Expos, the Rangers and the White Sox will almost definitely be looking for new leaders, while the Mets will likely let Bobby V go look for disciples elsewhere. There's been an interesting thread over on Netshrine about Grady Little and I just can't imagine that the Red Sox would be the team they were without him.
The beating and banging will commence again on the back of the house tomorrow morning while my cell phone goes off regularly. Thanks to all the radio shows that asked me to be a part of their day ... and yes, I'll do it again tomorrow. I hope everyone enjoyed the Jim Rushford feature and I'll be back tomorrow.
Oh, I almost forgot. If baseball does go on strike, I plan on maintaining the normal schedule for at least two weeks. If the strike goes beyond that, we'll shift to an "as needed" basis before finally shifting to our twice a week off-season format. Also, for all those that volunteered to help with UTK research, expect an email at the beginning of the week with more details. DDD has pushed things back and I didn't want anyone to think I'd forgotten or ignored them.
Current prediction: Will we have a strike? Yes. How sure? 99%. How long will it be? Six days. Play will resume next Friday with no loss of games. Who will be most instrumental in making a final deal? Fox's Ed Goren.
Paul LoDuca took some heat in today's conference call, but he was only a day early. There is now a deal in place for drug testing and players won. The threshhold to do more than "survey" testing is below where the union felt current usage might be (5%) and there is no random testing for drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. Even more important, there's no testing for hGH, rEPO, testosterone, or anything resembling a drug that a professional athlete might use.Anyone notice Bob DuPuy's Q&A over on MLBPravda.com? Interesting that twice, he says no team will falter due to a strike, even an extended strike. I wonder what Bud might say to that.
I've decided to add a new term to the UTK lexicon. Several suggested "hijinx" instead of "shenanigans" but both are tough to type, so I'll add in "TRS" for "typical roster shenanigans." I do want to clarify that I don't necessarily think TRS is wrong or unethical. There are rules and giving yourself an advantage by finding loopholes or using the rules to your teams advantage is only one thing - smart.
Gary Sheffield is having trouble with the same thumb he had surgery on in 1995. Injured during a batting drill, Sheffield is currently unable to swing a bat without significant pain and was scheduled to see team ortho Joe Chandler today after an MRI. Reports from inside the Braves clubhouse are that the thumb is visibly swollen and that if we make it past DDD, Sheffield will likely face some DL time. At best, he'll miss a week.
Greg Maddux gets Henry Blanco back and throws a complete game on 100 pitches and with only one strikeout. I still take him over Roger Clemens, but to be able to dominate without "dominating" hitters with massive K numbers may be something we look back on with amazement in twenty years.
There's some good news on Austin Kearns, who after seeing him pull up last night, I was convinced was done. An MRI done today showed that the injury was not as bad as it looked and the swelling was down significantly. Tip to the Reds - hire a stretching consultant and get the players to buy in. The Reds also lost Scuffy Moehler today as his surgically repaired arm is fatigued to a point that he's even less effective than he normally is. He's likely done for the year, but given the right type of contract, he's the type of guy the Reds could use next year.
Everyone, listen closely. Don't worry about A.J. Burnett. The injury he suffered is not debilitating, does not signal the end of his career, and in the grand scheme of things, is relatively insignificant. What caused his injury is a bit freakish - two bones striking each other just enough to cause a small bruise - but freak injuries that are minor, that have no structural problems, are just that - minor. If you worry about his pitch counts, this gives him a nice rest at the time in the season when he is likely to be most fatigued. (Well, that statement isn't exactly true, but I'll talk more about that in my next article on why pitch counts aren't enough.) Want a hot tip for next year? If Burnett is in your draft and you have a league full of non-UTKers, talk about pitch counts, freak injuries, then watch Burnett slide and grab him. People will stare at you and you'll have one of the best starters in all of baseball on your team.
The Fish also may get Josh Beckett back earlier than expected. The blister that put him on the DL healed nicely and he could be ready to pitch again when he's eligible to come off the list, but really, what's the point? Beckett and his employers are going to need to figure out either what's causing this problem or how to figure out how to heal it more quickly.
We should know tomorrow if Paul Konerko has a stress fracture, but team trainer Herm Schneider says it is. The other possibility is tendonitis, but while Herm may not be certified, he usually knows what he's doing. An MRI, done today, will be the final word. If there's no fracture, Konerko will be brought back slowly with more time at DH. It's always fun to see Frank Thomas and his diminished skills playing first base. While I'm speaking of the ChiSox, wouldn't it have been priceless to have heard Jerry Reinsdorf taking the team to task? I've almost forgotten how to make a Reinsdorf joke without involving Fat Jerry Krause in it.
Barry Bonds hitting fifth is a bit unusual. Him hitting home runs in Colorado is not. Jeez, imagine him playing full time on Planet Coors.
Nick Johnson had a setback in his recovery from his wrist injury, reporting unexpected soreness after hitting from a tee. He'll be pushed back about a week, putting him on track for mid-September. Plenty of time to tune it up for the playoffs. On the other hand, I spoke with an "anonymous high-level Yankee source" today and he spoke about Mariano Rivera like he was done for the year.
According to the always excellent and well-written Newberg Report, "Juan Gonzalez had a splint removed from his right thumb and was given a cortisone shot to reduce swelling in a tendon, according to the local papers, and he could resume baseball activities (including swinging a bat) by the end of this week." Somewhat surprising, but not unexpected. Gonzalez is probably my leading contender for 2003 Comeback Player of the Year.
Tim Salmon is making progress from his damaged hand and may find himself in Cucamonga for rehab. I just like saying Cucamonga, but really, the Angels do plan on sending him to A ball to get some rehab if possible. This MAY be a bit of TRS, but I'm not sure if rehab assignments would be affected by a strike.
Jack Wilson is an itty-bitty guy. Well, itty-bitty for a baseball player. Craig Wilson, on the other hand, is pretty big. Not NFL lineman big, but big. Craig fell on top of Jack during stretching - I have no idea how - and Jack hurt his neck. Big guy falls on little guy, yep, that's gonna be an injury almost every time. Wilson can't hit even when healthy, but he is a great defensive shortstop, so I guess the Pirates will miss him some.
Ricky Gutierrez is likely facing surgery to remove not only a disc protruding into his spinal cord, but some sources are indicating that he has a bone spur jutting into his spinal cord. Yes, it's every bit as serious as it sounds, but not as grave. I'll have to venture way outside of baseball for a comparable injury to Stone Cold Steve Austin. Whether you consider pro wrestlers to be athletes or not, getting bounced off your head by big sweaty guys does some damage and Austin had a very similar problem to Gutierrez's. While Gutierrez just wants to get back to baseball and shouldn't have to worry about piledrivers, a similar six to eight month recovery period might not be out of the question. This surgery and condition are very different that the fusion that Rusty Greer has undergone, but the timetables are similar.
Want a dark horse candidate for the next Cubs manager? Current hitting coach Jeff Pentland. He's long been a favorite of Sammy Sosa and in recent interviews, he's been saying all the right things. While I'm still hoping Jim Hendry will bring in Buck Showalter, I wouldn't mind seeing Pentland get a shot. What jobs will be open next year? The Cubs, the Brewers, the Expos, the Rangers and the White Sox will almost definitely be looking for new leaders, while the Mets will likely let Bobby V go look for disciples elsewhere. There's been an interesting thread over on Netshrine about Grady Little and I just can't imagine that the Red Sox would be the team they were without him.
The beating and banging will commence again on the back of the house tomorrow morning while my cell phone goes off regularly. Thanks to all the radio shows that asked me to be a part of their day ... and yes, I'll do it again tomorrow. I hope everyone enjoyed the Jim Rushford feature and I'll be back tomorrow.
Oh, I almost forgot. If baseball does go on strike, I plan on maintaining the normal schedule for at least two weeks. If the strike goes beyond that, we'll shift to an "as needed" basis before finally shifting to our twice a week off-season format. Also, for all those that volunteered to help with UTK research, expect an email at the beginning of the week with more details. DDD has pushed things back and I didn't want anyone to think I'd forgotten or ignored them.